First Known Use: 1520
Dictionary
epitome
noun epit·o·me \i-ˈpi-tə-mē\
: a perfect example : an example that represents or expresses something very well
Full Definition of EPITOME
1
a : a summary of a written work b : a brief presentation or statement of something
2
: a typical or ideal example : embodiment <the British monarchy itself is the epitome of tradition — Richard Joseph>
3
: brief or miniature form —usually used with in
— ep·i·tom·ic \ˌe-pə-ˈtä-mik\ or ep·i·tom·i·cal \-mi-kəl\ adjective
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Examples of EPITOME
- Terns, nicknamed sea swallows by fishermen, are superb flying machines, the epitome of beauty on the wing. —E. Vernon Laux, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2001
- Manchester, then known as ‘Cottonopolis’ and perceived throughout the world as the epitome of the whirling fierceness of the industrial revolution. … —Roy Jenkins, Gladstone, (1995) 1997
- Hamilton thought the bank was a fait accompli, but he had not reckoned on Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Jefferson, the lover of rural virtues, had a deep, almost visceral hatred of banks, the epitome of all that was urban. —John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, July/August 1990
- I didn't tell him that, at the time, I thought the place to be the epitome of bourgeois comfort; in those days I thought that there was some connection between creative talent and penury. —Ishmael Reed, “August Wilson,” 1987, in Writin' Is Fightin', 1988
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Origin of EPITOME
Latin, from Greek epitomē, from epitemnein to cut short, from epi- + temnein to cut — more at tome
Related to EPITOME
- Synonyms
- abstract, breviary, brief, capsule, conspectus, digest, encapsulation, summary, inventory, outline, précis, recap, recapitulation, résumé (or resume also resumé), roundup, rundown, run-through, sum, summa, summarization, summing-up, sum-up, synopsis, wrap-up
Other Literature Terms
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